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In years past, remote control and remote access weren't exactly technologies of the masses. Complicated and expensive, applications like Laplink and pcAnywhere were rarely used by anyone other than IT professionals and other seasoned computer users. In recent years, all this has changed, with dramatic improvements in the usability and pricing of utilities that give you access to your other PCs, whether they're across town or on the other side of the world.

Which is right for you? Much depends on how many machines you have, how you use them, and how much you're willing to spend. With some services, the base price gives you remote access to only one machine. And though most give you a discount if you sign up for a full year of service, these vary from about 10 percent (FolderShare) to 55 percent (LogMeIn Pro).

Despite its many imitators, the original, GoToMyPC ($19.95 per month and up), is still the most effective remote control tool on the Weband the easiest to use. You can tap into a remote PC from any Java-enabled browser, freely navigating its OS as if it were right there in front of you. Equipped with a built-in file transfer tool, it's a great way to access important data. But it's also great for support. In accessing a friend's machine, not only can you navigate the system, but you can also chat and draw on the friend's desktop with a virtual marker. If need be, you can even reboot your remote system.

But the real beauty of the app is how easy it is to use. You simply download a small client to the PC you want to control and assign a password to the system. From then on, you can access your machine by logging on to your account and keying in the system password.

GoToMyPC does cost a pretty penny, and though it can be used on certain wireless handhelds, it doesn't work well over dial-up connections. (Citrix Online LLC, www.gotomypc.com)

Laplink Everywhere ($9.95 per month) solves both these problems. It's cheaper than GoToMyPC, and though it does offer full remote control, it can also make low-bandwidth HTML-based connections, accessing only certain important parts of a remote system, including your e-mail in-box, your calendar, and your file tree. This sort of approach is ideal for use over dial-up or on a wireless handheld. But the full remote control isn't as slick or as fast as what you get with GoToMyPC, and the low-bandwidth functions are only marginally useful if your remote machine isn't running Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express. (Laplink Software Inc., www.laplink.com)

I'm InTouch ($9.95 per month) carries the same price tag as Laplink Everywhere and operates along the same lines. You can do full remote control, or you can opt for quick and dirty HTML connections. The difference is that its full remote control, while still not the equal of GoToMyPC's, is far more impressive than Laplink's.

One nice bonus here: You can stream video from a remote PC's webcam. Not only can you check up on your PC, you can even check up on the room it's sitting in. If you have a webcam installed, I'm InTouch automatically finds it and starts streaming video as soon as you click the appropriate link. (01 Com, www.01com.com)

Don't want to spend even $10 a month? 3am Labs' LogMeIn Basic gives you full remote control, free. It won't transfer files to and from your remote PC or do remote printing, but it's nearly as slick and as fast as GoToMyPC, and if you need to transfer files, you can do so by remote-controlling e-mail.

The company has two more powerful versions of the product, each $12.95. LogMeIn Pro adds file transfer, syncing, and remote printing. LogMeIn IT Reach layers on control over and information about the remote PC, which makes it suitable for tech support. (3am Labs, www.logmein.com)

WebEx's free product, MyWebEx PC, isn't quite as impressive as LogMeIn. With the free version of LogMeIn, for example, you can access an unlimited number of remote machines, whereas MyWebEx PC limits you to one. But its designers have worked out a few bugs since we first reviewed the product in February, and the full version of the tool, which includes file transfer, remote printing, and application-specific access much like you get with Laplink Everywhere, is only $9.95 per month. (WebEx Communications Inc., www.mywebexpc.com)

Install BeInSync ($59.95 per year) or ByteTaxi's FolderShare ($48.60 to $72.90 per year) and you may not need remote control. Each of these apps lets you keep certain files and folders automatically synchronized between two or more machines. You can also use them to share files with other usersand yes, you can do remote access from any Web browser with either service. Both are available free, in limited form, and they're far more versatile than standard remote control apps.

BeInSync's interface is more intuitive. Unlike FolderShare, it lets you easily synchronize e-mail messages, contacts, and bookmarks, not just files. But the company has yet to pin down its price, saying that it will up the annual rate to $99.95 but not committing to a date or even to a general time frame. (BeInSync: BeInSync, www.beinsync.com. FolderShare: ByteTaxi Inc., www.foldershare.com.)

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